Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)

It is clear that the reduction in the PSO subvention provided by the Government for the CIE group of companies has led to a considerable fare increase. Obviously, this is having an impact on people's capacity to travel to work. The Government has made a great deal of the fact that it has decided not to tax work. It could be strongly argued that the increase in the cost of getting to work - either in the form of an increase in the fares charged by the CIE group of companies or in a rise in the cost of motor tax or fuel oil - has led to a correspondingly significant increase in taxes on work.

In the past the Minister indicated that there was a necessity for transport prices to be reduced and argued that this was part of the economic model which showed that the country had the capacity to be competitive. The programme for Government states the Administration recognises the need to rebalance transport policy in favour of public transport. The Government indicated that it would establish a Cabinet sub-committee on infrastructure to explore the benefits to the public transport passenger of a more diverse bus service. What has been done to establish such a service? A great deal was promised in this regard. Is the Minister of State satisfied with the response of CIE in the context of its efforts to reduce the cost of its operations and develop a more cost-effective method of providing public transportation which would not, in the first instance, rely on increases in passenger fares?

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